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Volkswagen Beach Bomb
'Volkswagen Beach Bomb Description' Volkswagen Beach Bomb was a casting from the 1969 Hot Wheels line-up. Featuring removable surfboards from the sides. Can be found with Dark or White interior. Volkswagen Beach Bomb 'can boast to be perhaps the most valuable casting to date, although by far not the rarest but by price paid, especially the rear-loader. The RLBB was not produced because its high center of gravity made it prone to flying off the race track, and it was too narrow for the Supercharger to grab its sides and propel the casting properly. Although the Grand Prix series saw this same thought process with gas tanks being added, they were never changed. This was a Prime selling point of Hot Wheels at the time, track sets and superchargers. As a result, the production casting was modified with two pods on the sides to carry surfboards and to widen it so the supercharger would grab it. A large chunk of base was added in the middle and lowered, also a large portion of the roof was removed to make a sunroof to lower the center of gravity. 'Side board Versions The (SLBB )Beach Bomb has come out in the following versions: 'Original rearboard Versions' The (RLBB) Beach Bomb has come out in the following versions: Notes: although the base should be blank or some sorta proto stage, the bases are stamped Hong Kong. This just add's confusion to the fact these were suppose have been never released. SInce in 1968 Mattel was still doing all designs in the USA and then shipping Die's to Hong Kong. There are over 40 of these known to be in collector's hands. 'Similar Casting and Names' 2002 Hot Wheels Collectors Beach Bomb Too (2002) ' 'Gallery Image:BB_blue_1.JPG 'Code 3 Description' (2000?, 2001?) Due to the hype of this casting and the prices being brought by it, Brightvison was the first to produce a non Mattel version of this casting with a it's own Tool & Die with at least two different versions A & B( Alpha & Omega, I believe) There were notable differences between them. This was a complete recasting not the Original tool & die, "When the changes were made to the tooling for the RLBB to become the SLBB back in 1968, the tool was forever modified. Once the changes were made to the tool to produce the SLBB, there was never an opportunity to run the old tool again! Contrary to legend, this RLBB tool did not ever reside in a famous designer’s garage. It was modified to produce the SLBB, and shipped off to Hong Kong to produce the SLBB." Though this casting had not seen the light of day in 29 + years, I think it was Mattel that laid claim to the casting and rights. Through the legal efforts of Mattel this was a short lived production. I could be wrong on this, been alot of years. I do remember they were on a Internet kick of trying and succeeding to threaten people on there DOT coms, during this era. There is a Chinese version being produced as of (date) (2003 or 04?), although not the quality of the Brightvision, 'Code 3 rearboard Versions' The Beach Bomb has come out in the following versions: Notes: Category:1969 Hot Wheels Category:Ira Gilford Designs Category:Volkswagen Vehicles Category:Vans